The Penny Ice Creamery | Downtown Santa Cruz

the menu is constantly rotating & they often have lots of unconventional flavours. it’s also nice that they focus on local ingredients. the marshmallow topping wasn’t what i was expecting so i was a little disappointed- texturally it was lighter & more similar to meringue than the sticky gooey fluff that i’m used to. the scoops that received were massive & we almost couldn’t finish. the waffle cone is also so buttery & delicious. worth a try but it is definitely pricier than other nearby options.

This place absolutely delivered a perfect outing. The welcome was bright and friendly from the moment we walked in, and the atmosphere felt like a true neighborhood gem. Everything we had was clearly made with care and tasted wonderfully fresh.

The space itself has a lovely, relaxed charm that makes you want to linger. I left feeling completely satisfied and can’t wait to come back again. A genuine highlight in Santa Cruz.

Most of the flavors here WOW AWESOME bring the Family expect a line parking garage is walking distance

Yum yum. Fun flavors. Great time.

This is the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to give a negative review to any restaurant or business. I ordered a “mini” thinking it would be like a typical kids scoop (which is usually a reasonable amount of ice cream if you’re not trying to load up) and they basically put 3 tiny spoonfuls in a cup and charged me $7. That aside, the ice cream was bad. I was a little shocked because of the hype and long line but the ice cream was watery, over frozen, and not creamy in the slightest. I usually just chalk up a sub par experience like this to an “off day” but this one really hurt.

Honestly top tier ice cream and milkshakes. The coffee shake was delectable and I would highly recommend. Definitely very expensive, North of $10 for a shake seems absurd somehow but alas it is 2026. If you're looking for a really good sweet treat and have some cash burning a hole in your pocket it's great!

My all time favorite!

The ice cream sucks and it’s overpriced for such small scoops.

Get the fresh mint ice cream! Minty-est mint ice cream ever and so many chocolate chips!!!

$8 for this pathetic portion of a single scoop. The flavor was mid too. More vanilla than apricot crumble. And $7.25 for a popsicle—highway robbery. They said it was strawberry but it was strawberry vanilla, which is NOT what we wanted. The long line takes a ridiculously long time to get serviced. I used to like going years ago but with these brazen prices and portions, fool me once..

So many other high quality ice cream shops out there with way better value and customer service. They don’t even bother to reply to dissatisfied reviews on here.

Doesn't taste like any other ice cream🍦 in a good way. Tastes real and natural.

Am from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳

Ice cream is creamy and full of flavor. Store is a bit small but there are 4 large tables on the sidewalk. Staff are patient and friendly. It's hard to find parking, so be prepared to spend a few minutes finding parking and walking to the store

8 dollars for the smallest of scoops and only 6 options to chose from. Will not be coming back

Hands down the best ice cream in Santa Cruz. A lot of people would disagree and go to Maryanne's, but this place kills it with their marshmallow fluff and how amazing their ice cream is, I never come to Santa Cruz without stopping in here daily.